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The 14th annual Dubuque-Wisconsin High School Rodeo competition will be May 20-21 at the Dubuque County Fair Grounds/Tri-State Equine Park.

Runde Auto Group is a proud sponsor of the free pony rides prior to each rodeo!

“One thing that is really wonderful about this event is that it brings something different to the community that families and people of any age can enjoy,” said Heidi Gansen, a member of the event committee. “There are so many different events within the rodeo, activities for the kids before and during, and a delicious food stand on site! Best of all, we are keeping alive an over 100-year American tradition with the sport of rodeo; which is based on sportsmanship, dedication, teamwork, family and respect.”

You can get $5 advance tickets at Longhorn Saddlery in Dubuque and at Theisen’s stores in Dubuque, Dyersville, and Maquoketa. Admission at the gate is $8 for adults, $5 for ages 7 to 17, and free for children 6 years old and younger.

A weekend pass is $15. The event is held rain or shine.

The rodeo is sanctioned by the Wisconsin High School Rodeo Association.
Events include:

Barrel Racing

Pole Bending

Breakaway Roping

Goat Tying

Calf Roping

Team Roping

Steer Wrestling

Boys Cutting

Saddle broncs

Bareback broncs

Bull Riding

Girls Cutting

Trap Shooting

Light Rifle

Ribbon Roping

Working Cow Horse

The schedule:

Friday, May 19

3 p.m.: Shooting Events, Izaak Walton Club, grades 6th through 12th

7 p.m.: Team Roping, Open Jackpot

7 p.m.: Barrel Racing, Open Jackpot

Saturday, May 20

1 p.m.: Rodeo – Wisconsin High School and Junior High School Rodeo competition

7 p.m.: Rodeo – Wisconsin High School and Junior High School Rodeo competition

Sunday, May 21

Noon: Rodeo – Wisconsin High School and Junior High School Rodeo competition

I remember watching the show “Hey Dude!” as a kid. It was a country life kind of show – riding around on horses, roping calf’s, tying all sorts of knots that would just leave me wrapped up if I attempted to try them. To me it was a different life, I was used to a city life, but the country activities I saw always interested me. What better way to satisfy these interests than to see the best of the best in our very own community compete in a rodeo, live!?

The 8th Annual Wisconsin Regional High School Rodeo will gather kids from the 6th – 12th grade to compete in the rodeo which will be held at the Dubuque County Fairgrounds from May 20th – May 22nd. The Rodeo is local, it teaches kids great life skills, and it offers a good time for everyone which makes this a “can’t miss” event.

We got a chance to interview Karen Schilling, one of the founding members of the River Rodeo Committee which puts together the rodeo, to get to know a little more about the event…

Hello Karen, what is your association with the event?

Karen Schilling

I am on the River Rodeo Committee, we are a group of parents from Eastern Iowa that banded together to put on the rodeo here in Dubuque for the Wisconsin High School Rodeo Association. We are a regional rodeo.

How long has the committee been together?This is our 8th year. About eight families and myself, are the founding members.

What makes you keep doing these events every year?We do it for the kids. They really enjoy having places to rodeo. Dubuque has great facilities and the kids love coming to the fairgrounds. It really is all for the kids.

How did the Rodeo come about?My business partner, Ginny Henneberry, has a son who was competing in the Wisconsin High School Rodeo and my daughter was about to start competing. We both thought it would be convenient to have a rodeo in Dubuque. From there we had the first meeting in her house, and we thought we could do it so we gave it a try and we are still going.

How many participants enter the rodeo?There are usually around 150 contestants for the weekend. We do not have a limit to the number of contestants, though.

What are the requirements to enter the rodeo?It’s open to anyone who’s a member of the Wisconsin High School Association that is between the 6th and 12th grade.

How does someone become a member of the Wisconsin High School Association?They can go to the website: http://www.cowboycalendar.com/WIHSRA/ where they can download the form to apply for the association.

Click here to go to the Wisconsin High School Association website

What kind of activities goes on in the rodeo?They do all of the regular rodeo events plus extras:Barrel Racing, Pole Bending, Breakaway Roping, Goat Tying, Calf Roping, Team Wrestling, Boys and Girls Cutting, Saddle Broncs, Bareback Broncs and Bull riding.

How long do the events usually last?Each performance lasts approximately two hours. But we cannot get all the contestants done in that time frame so there’s what we call “slack”. Slack is when we run the extra contestants on times that aren’t during the public rodeo showtime.

The Junior High rodeo is at 4:00pm Friday afternoon and a lot of the kids are rolling in during the afternoon on Friday and the High School rodeo is on Saturday and Sunday.

What do the participants get for winning?Its two things… for the high schools it’s a “two-go” weekend so they take their scores from both go’s and average it. We have awards for the 1st – 4th place winners. They also accumulate points for the year-end total which is totaled in June at the state finals in Richland Center, WI. The top person in each event wins a saddle and a buckle. 2nd-5th places all receive buckles as well as other gifts. The top four are qualified to go to nationals which is in Gillette, Wyoming this year in July.

Do the kids bring in their own horses?Yes, the kids bring their own horses and keep them in the barns up on the fairground. A lot of the kids bring self-contained horse-trailers which have living quarters in the front so they can stay right on the fairgrounds the whole weekend long.

Is there generally a pretty good crowd for the show?Oh yes, I would say over the course of the weekend there are 1,500-2,000 spectators. It grows every year.

What has changed over the years with the event?Over these last three years we added clowns to the event. In each of the three performances on Saturday and Sunday we have a boot race where we invite the kids, ten and under, to come into the arena. We take off one of their boots and they have to race to go get their boot and bring it back. It gets the little kids in the arena with the clown, the kids love it.

Every year there are improvements to the facility. We went through the years having a new fence put in and making the arena bigger and making improvements to the announcer’s facility. Every year we try to make it nicer for the participants. Also, every year the competition keeps getting tougher and we get a lot more participants.

Can people volunteer to help out with the event?Yes. We are looking for help with the admission and the food stand. We are always looking for volunteers.

If you are interested in volunteering for the rodeo you can call Karen Schilling at (563) 542-4791.

Schedule/Information:Friday, May 20th @ 4:00p.m…….. Jr. High RodeoSat. May 21st @ 1:00p.m………….. High School Performances Sat. May 21st @ 7:00p.m………….. High School PerformancesSun. May 22nd @ Noon…………….. High School Performances

Tickets available at the gate:$7.00 for Adult (Friday admission is just $5.00)$3.00 Ages 7-106 & Under: FreeWeekend Pass: $15.00

Today I had the opportunity to get to know Francis Munns (who goes by Frankie) from Stitzer, Wisconsin. The township of Stitzer is about 50 miles away from our Runde PreDriven store where she purchased her daughters’ new car today. Stacie works as an LPN (licensed practical nurse) at the Lancaster Care Center for 11 years now. Read on to learn more about her family and her experience here at Runde’s!

What led you to Runde’s?Well actually we came to this area to get new glasses and my daughter also happened to be lookin’ for new car. We happened to have some time to spare so we went “window shopping” around town for a new car… and now we have one. This was the third place that we went to and you guys had the right price and right vehicle for her.

What vehicle did you end up buying?We got a white ’08 Chevrolet Malibu. My daughter knew right away that’s what she wanted out of all the vehicles we looked at.

Did you stop by or did you call in first?No, we just came by… Al ran and jumped out in front of our car to help us.

Sounds like Al… Did you know Al before today?No, this was the first time we met him.

What you think of him?I love him, he’s awesome, he really is. All of the guys here are super.

Great! So what would you give Runde’s on a scale of 1-10?A twenty. I sat at another dealership around the area for several hours without getting anywhere, but here they have fun with you and they really take care of you. It’s a very pleasant experience.

So the Malibu is your daughters vehicle, what is she going to use it for?She’s going to go to Clarke College for nursing next year and the vehicle she drives now is just not suitable for going back and forth. Now she has something safe and reliable.

Is your daughter your only child?Nope, other than Nicole, my daughter, I also have a son, Trevor who is in high school – he’s a bull rider in the high school rodeo.

Have any pets?I have a dog, Rat Terrier named Mindy and Nicole has a black lab that also lives with us.

What do you like to do around the area?I like to bike with my boyfriend, Jack Ellis, on his Harley. I also like to have camp fires with my family and sit around with my friends and neighbors.

Do you go on a lot of family vacations or trips?The Star Spangled Celebration in Richland Center, Wisconsin is a country fest that we all enjoy going to. We camp out and have a great time.

What’s one invention you can’t live without?The T.V.

Have a favorite show?The Golden Girls.

Favorite movie?The Horse Whisperer.

Favorite actor?Kevin Costner.

Favorite restaurant?My kids and I always have to stop at the Asian King Buffet whenever we come down here.

If you could do any one thing, what would you do?I would go back in time to when I was 18 or 19 and be a Pro Barrel Racer. I started riding too late in life to take full advantage of it. I watch my daughter Barrel race and it is just wonderful.

If you were to win the lottery what would you do with the money?I would build a new nursing home in Lancaster. It would be for the residence not for me.